I absolutely love the challenge of a new project. Two sweet friends had me make their families' stockings for this past Christmas. Both projects were very different from one another, and it was a really fun to dream and create.
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Saturday, September 24, 2011
A Christmas Tradition to Get Started on Now
I started a tradition right after I first got married (over 9 years ago!) that has been so much fun. Each year I put up a small, tabletop Christmas tree on a sofa table right in our foyer. I make handmade ornaments (but you could just as easily and with just as much meaning purchase a variety of store-bought ones) to fill the tree. Then, each and every guest that passes through our doors during the Christmas season picks an ornament off the tree to take home. Even the Verizon installers chose one a couple of years back. The two grown men acted like kidsina candy store over homemade ornaments. It just makes people happy! And it, in turn, will bless your heart too.
Need some handmade ornament ideas? Here are some of my favorites:
Monday, January 31, 2011
Handmade Christmas 2010
Continuing the annual tradition, I made most of our Christmas gifts again this year and wanted to showcase them here.
First up, my baby boy. I decided to make a quilt for each of our kids for their first Christmas. I tried quilting my son's but it didn't turn out the way I would have liked, so I'm ripping out the quilting and starting over. Here is the top, though.
Our 2 1/2-year-old daughter is very into mommy-ing. We saw the doll bed that I posted about here, and had to make it for her. My husband and I made the bed, and I made a bedding to complete it for her.
For my nieces, one in college and one in high school, I made ruched scarves.
For my sister-in-law and her family, a "Table Talk" jar filled with dinner time conversation starters. 
For my 4 1/2-year-old nephew, a drawstring bag with a tic-tac-toe quilt and bean bags to use in place of the x's and o's.
For my almost 2-year-old nephew, a bucket filled with magnetic fish and a fishing pole.
For my oldest nephew (9-years-old), I made a magnetic bag and pencil/pen holder with a composition notebook and a fun daily writing prompt book inside.
For my 7-year-old nephew, we made a spy kit with all of the necessities for spying.
There is a caution tape and twine dispenser:
A notebook for collecting clues and a secret envelope with papers to create secret spy codes:
A couple of bags with fingerprinting tools and evidence collecting necessities (tweezers, tape measure, etc.):
As always, it was a ton of fun to put everything together and to gather ideas for all of the kids. Each year I start earlier and earlier, and I'm already putting together some ideas for next Christmas. =)
First up, my baby boy. I decided to make a quilt for each of our kids for their first Christmas. I tried quilting my son's but it didn't turn out the way I would have liked, so I'm ripping out the quilting and starting over. Here is the top, though.
Our 2 1/2-year-old daughter is very into mommy-ing. We saw the doll bed that I posted about here, and had to make it for her. My husband and I made the bed, and I made a bedding to complete it for her.
For my nieces, one in college and one in high school, I made ruched scarves.
For my sister-in-law and her family, a "Table Talk" jar filled with dinner time conversation starters. For my 4 1/2-year-old nephew, a drawstring bag with a tic-tac-toe quilt and bean bags to use in place of the x's and o's.For my almost 2-year-old nephew, a bucket filled with magnetic fish and a fishing pole.For my oldest nephew (9-years-old), I made a magnetic bag and pencil/pen holder with a composition notebook and a fun daily writing prompt book inside.
For my 7-year-old nephew, we made a spy kit with all of the necessities for spying.There is a caution tape and twine dispenser:
A notebook for collecting clues and a secret envelope with papers to create secret spy codes:A couple of bags with fingerprinting tools and evidence collecting necessities (tweezers, tape measure, etc.):As always, it was a ton of fun to put everything together and to gather ideas for all of the kids. Each year I start earlier and earlier, and I'm already putting together some ideas for next Christmas. =)
Saturday, December 11, 2010
White Elephant Gift Idea
(Photo courtesy of Caffeine, Kids, and Knitting)One couple at our Bible study's Christmas party last night brought the cutest white elephant gift idea, and I thought I'd share. It was a gift box with a silk mistletoe, a pack of breath mints, and Chapstick. So fun and creative. Why not knit your own mistletoe to include with it?
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Handmade Christmas
Christmas of 2008 I decided to make all homemade gifts for family. It was so fun and such a challenge that I dove in head first again this year. Here are the gifts I made. If you're interested in the links to any of the tutorials I found, please feel free to ask in the comments!
Lap Desks: I made a foam pillow covered in fleece then used a heavy-duty Velcro to attach them to the back of wooden clipboards. Easy and functional. These were for my 8 and 6-year-old nephews.
A scarf for my mother-in-law:
An "I Spy" bag for my 3-year-old nephew. Here's the front...
...and the back
And a quilted colors book for my 9-month-old nephew:
Lap Desks: I made a foam pillow covered in fleece then used a heavy-duty Velcro to attach them to the back of wooden clipboards. Easy and functional. These were for my 8 and 6-year-old nephews.
A scarf for my mother-in-law:
An "I Spy" bag for my 3-year-old nephew. Here's the front...
...and the back
And a quilted colors book for my 9-month-old nephew:
Friday, November 6, 2009
Java
I am a coffee lover. Sadly I just cannot get any past my lips during the first (and some of the second) trimester. In the past couple of days I've been able to reintroduce coffee to my morning routine (decaf, in case you're worried). While I was grocery shopping the other evening, I picked up an egg nog, one of my favorite holiday treats, to use as coffee creamer. I just thought I'd share that it has been delicious and amazing! Try it. It's like an at-home version of an eggnog latte. Yum!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Handmade Christmas 2008
This year I decided to do an entirely handmade holiday. I thought I'd share pictures of the gifts in case it will help with gift ideas for you all.
I made a folding picnic blanket for my sister-in-law and her family. It folds into itself creating a bag. There are pockets in each corner for which I sewed bean bags to keep the blanket in place in windy weather. The bean bags fit into the outside pocket when folded.
For my 2-year-old train-loving nephew, I made a travel book of tracks.
My 7-year-old nephew runs a store out of his bedroom selling his drawings. =) He needed a storefront, so we came up with one together. This is designed to hang over a door. The top pocket is clear vinyl. He designed a store sign to fit there. The black rectangle is chalkboard fabric, and the bottom pockets are to organize his wares. A set of business cards completed his gift.
A teepee for my 5-year-old nephew.
And, finally, a photo quilt for my mother-in-law.
A teepee for my 5-year-old nephew. And, finally, a photo quilt for my mother-in-law.Thursday, December 25, 2008
Day 25, 25 Days of Christmas Tips
25) Give your time
Did you know that helping organizations such as Meals on Wheels still run on holidays? The normal volunteers often ask for some time off for Christmas. When we were in high school, my parents started a tradition. We would wake up early Christmas morning, pack a bunch of freshly-baked breakfast goodies (cinnamon rolls, muffins, biscuits, etc.) and a couple of thermoses of Christmas coffees and head downtown Dallas. We would spend Christmas morning helping Meals on Wheels deliver Christmas dinners to house-bound individuals, usually senior citizens with no family to help take care of them. It was a treat and such a great way to start the day with the focus on something other than presents. Since it's a little late to start this tradition this year, here's something to do first thing in the morning before the stockings and presents are torn to shreads. Read the Christmas story together. Here it is for your reference:
Luke 2
1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.
4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels 8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
God bless you and yours this Christmas. I have truly enjoyed compiling this list of Christmas tips. I will be taking a brief break (not sure how long) from this blog, but I'll be back soon with more crafty, baking goodness. =)
Did you know that helping organizations such as Meals on Wheels still run on holidays? The normal volunteers often ask for some time off for Christmas. When we were in high school, my parents started a tradition. We would wake up early Christmas morning, pack a bunch of freshly-baked breakfast goodies (cinnamon rolls, muffins, biscuits, etc.) and a couple of thermoses of Christmas coffees and head downtown Dallas. We would spend Christmas morning helping Meals on Wheels deliver Christmas dinners to house-bound individuals, usually senior citizens with no family to help take care of them. It was a treat and such a great way to start the day with the focus on something other than presents. Since it's a little late to start this tradition this year, here's something to do first thing in the morning before the stockings and presents are torn to shreads. Read the Christmas story together. Here it is for your reference:
Luke 2
1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.
4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels 8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
God bless you and yours this Christmas. I have truly enjoyed compiling this list of Christmas tips. I will be taking a brief break (not sure how long) from this blog, but I'll be back soon with more crafty, baking goodness. =)
Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Day 24, 25 Days of Christmas Tips
24) Cookies for Santa
Around here, Santa loves a variety of cookies. So surprise him this year with something special that he probably did not just have at the house next door. These cranberry-lemon sandwich cookies are well worth the trouble...for Santa, of course. =)
Cranberry-Lemon Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened 1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar 1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs 2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp grated lemon peel ½ tsp salt
¾ cup dried cranberries
Filling:
2/3 cup butter, softened 2 ¾ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup milk 1 ¼ tsp grated lemon peel
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening, and sugars. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cream of tartar, peel and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in the cranberries. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Roll into 1-ince balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar.
Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Combine filling ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Spread on the bottom half of the cookies and top with remaining cookies.
Note:
This recipe make a bunch! It’s easier if you try to make the cookies all the same size. Also, I rub the bottom of the glass with the sliced lemon before dipping it in sugar to press the cookies flat. It adds a hint more lemon flavoring which I love...I mean, which Santa loves!
Around here, Santa loves a variety of cookies. So surprise him this year with something special that he probably did not just have at the house next door. These cranberry-lemon sandwich cookies are well worth the trouble...for Santa, of course. =)
Cranberry-Lemon Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened 1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar 1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs 2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp grated lemon peel ½ tsp salt
¾ cup dried cranberries
Filling:
2/3 cup butter, softened 2 ¾ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup milk 1 ¼ tsp grated lemon peel
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening, and sugars. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cream of tartar, peel and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in the cranberries. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Roll into 1-ince balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar.
Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Combine filling ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Spread on the bottom half of the cookies and top with remaining cookies.
Note:
This recipe make a bunch! It’s easier if you try to make the cookies all the same size. Also, I rub the bottom of the glass with the sliced lemon before dipping it in sugar to press the cookies flat. It adds a hint more lemon flavoring which I love...I mean, which Santa loves!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Day 23, 25 Days of Christmas Tips
23) Reuse
I saw an idea to string packing peanuts on thread to use as a Christmas tree garland. It looked really cute on a casual tree with hand-made ornaments (maybe a kids' tree). Then these arrived,
and I knew the perfect pink tree to hang them on. I haven't finished stringing them yet, but it's been a fun job to work on in front of the TV in the evenings.
and I knew the perfect pink tree to hang them on. I haven't finished stringing them yet, but it's been a fun job to work on in front of the TV in the evenings.Monday, December 22, 2008
Day 22, 25 Days of Christmas Tips
22) Reading
Books are a big part of our life in our little house. This is a little late in the 25 tips, but these are a little scattered and really just for reference for me for future years as well. So hopefully it's not a total loss for you.
I saw the cutest idea (and I can't remember I where I saw it). Put a Christmas basket near the Christmas tree. Put a different Christmas-themed or winter-themed book inside after the kids go to bed each night. Then each evening as the day is winding down, read that book by the light of the Christmas tree with your family snuggled close. Doesn't that sound like a great tradition for the kids to look forward to during the holiday season?
Such a sweet idea, I think.
Books are a big part of our life in our little house. This is a little late in the 25 tips, but these are a little scattered and really just for reference for me for future years as well. So hopefully it's not a total loss for you.
I saw the cutest idea (and I can't remember I where I saw it). Put a Christmas basket near the Christmas tree. Put a different Christmas-themed or winter-themed book inside after the kids go to bed each night. Then each evening as the day is winding down, read that book by the light of the Christmas tree with your family snuggled close. Doesn't that sound like a great tradition for the kids to look forward to during the holiday season?
Such a sweet idea, I think.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Day 21, 25 Days of Christmas Tips
21) Angel Kisses
Attach a ribbon to the back to use as an ornament. Or you could fill a cute coffee mug or bowl with Hershey kisses, add a few of these angel kisses to the top, and attach this tag. I actually got this as a gift years and years ago. It was given in a tiny clay pot with this poem printed on cardstock and glued to a popsicle stick stuck into the pot of kisses. It was so cute.
Here's another cute idea for a quick, inexpensive gift. This would be cute for teachers, neighbors, or secret santa gifts.
What you'll need:
Hershey kisses, sparkly pipe cleaners, wooden beads, glue gun, markers (black and pink).
Directions:
Bend a pipe cleaner into wings that would be an appropriate size for the kiss.
Also bend a pipe cleaner into a circle. Glue the circle onto the wooden bead. Decorate the bead to look like a face. I just did two black dots for eyes and two pink dots for cheeks. My marker ran terribly, so please pardon the pictures, but you get the idea. Glue the bead to the top of the kiss and the wings on the back.Attach a ribbon to the back to use as an ornament. Or you could fill a cute coffee mug or bowl with Hershey kisses, add a few of these angel kisses to the top, and attach this tag. I actually got this as a gift years and years ago. It was given in a tiny clay pot with this poem printed on cardstock and glued to a popsicle stick stuck into the pot of kisses. It was so cute.Saturday, December 20, 2008
Day 20, 25 Days of Christmas Tips
20) Storybook Crafts, Part Two
Directions:
The Legend of the Christmas Spider is a cute story of German origin that explains a fairytale reason behind why we decorate our trees with tinsel. Read this story with your kids before making spider ornaments. My mom has a gorgeous gold beaded spider in her ornament collection that we used to love to see on the tree (I still do!). This would be easy to make, and I'm making one for my tree, so you can follow along.
Here are the supplies you'll need:
craft wire, one large bead, seed beads, wire cutters, glue gun
Directions:
Cut 4 3-inch sections of wire. This does not have to be accurate at all. Just make sure that they're long enough to go through the large bead and have plenty of length left for legs. Curl one end of each of the wires to hold the beads on like this:
Thread seed beads onto the wires until you reach a little less than halfway.
Thread all four of the wires through the large bead. It may be helpful to use the glue gun to help hold the wires in place once they're threaded through the large bead.
Thread the remaining wire with seed beads leaving enough room to curl the ends like you did before. Bend the legs to look spider-like. There's your Christmas spider! Give her a special place on your tree. =)
Thread all four of the wires through the large bead. It may be helpful to use the glue gun to help hold the wires in place once they're threaded through the large bead.Thread the remaining wire with seed beads leaving enough room to curl the ends like you did before. Bend the legs to look spider-like. There's your Christmas spider! Give her a special place on your tree. =)
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